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t m c » p u l s e | m a y 2 0 1 8 37 713.582.2202 www.Lyne eLew.com | Lyne e@Lyne eLew.com Lyne e Lew Residen al & Commercial REALTOR ® Accredited Luxury Home Specialist ©2018 Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC. Better Homes and Gardens® is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation licensed to Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC. Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each Franchise is Independently Owned and Operated. If your property is currently listed with a real estate broker, please disregard. It is not our intention to solicit the offerings of other real estate brokers. 5 Bedroom/4 Bath Media Room Study & Outdoor Oasis Minutes to the Texas Medical Center Zoned to Bellaire HS www.3326Rochdale.com MLS: 89229947 Contact me today for a private showing of this stunning home! 3326 Rochdale Street Houston, Texas 77025 director of the Center for Precision Environmental Health at Baylor College of Medicine. "When you think about the human body, all the cells and tissues in the body have the exact same DNA, and yet they function completely differently, and that's because they have different epigenomes. The software that's programming your liver cell is telling your liver cell to turn on all the liver genes and don't turn on the brain genes, and the brain is saying turn on the brain genes but forget about the liver genes." That same software is also skilled at reacting to external, environmental forces. Scientists are beginning to understand that the epigenome can be modified as a result of exposure to chemicals, toxins, stress or any variation of the cell's ecosystem, including changes in a person's nutrition or climate. "It is one of the interesting things about our biology that we are designed to protect our genome from change—we have so many mechanisms to repair damage to DNA and to make sure that mutations don't occur—but our epigenome is actually the exact opposite. Our epigenome is designed to respond to our environ- ment," Walker said. Lee noted that the epigenome is important because it allows the human body to adapt quickly to a new environment. Whereas chang- ing the DNA code is a matter of slow-moving natural selection over generations, substantial changes in the epigenome can occur in just one generation. Perhaps, then, it's not surprising that changes have occurred in Scott Kelly's epigenome as a result of the environment in space. But, Walker pointed out, based on the informa- tion NASA has released thus far, "we don't know whether those changes in the epigenome are good and are helping the human body adapt to space, or whether they are reflecting an adverse effect of space." Baylor, which created the Center for Precision Environmental Health with Walker's recruitment, is analyz- ing how Earth's environment affects the genome and epigenome, as well. "Precision environmental health is the idea that we're going to understand the effects of the envi- ronment on each individual person by looking very carefully at their genome and epigenome, looking at their environmental exposures, and doing that in a very holistic way using data science and big data— the 'omics' approach," Walker said. "In terms of environmental expo- sures, this is a really important, active area of study because of the emerging appreciation that the epigenome is a major target for environmental exposures that can influence our health." Walker explained that the epig- enome's plasticity carries with it a vulnerability. "We are beginning to under- stand that there are periods in our life when our epigenome is espe- cially vulnerable to environmen- tal exposures," Walker said. "For example, the period of development is a time when all of this epigenetic software is being installed, when you go from two separate cells, from the sperm and the egg, to this complex, multicellular organism, and changes due to an environmen- tal exposure can be carried with an individual for their entire life and can change their risk for disease." Researchers are actively working to understand which periods of time may be most vulnerable to environmental exposures, or which environmental exposures may be capable of disrupting the epigenetic programming in a way that could have a permanent effect. Walker hopes more details from the Twins Study will poten- tially shed light on these areas. NASA said an integrated summary publication should be released later this year—something the research community anxiously awaits. "The important aspects will be revealed in the in-depth analysis," Lee said. "It's not always how much is different or the same, it's what is different or the same. It may be that very important genes haven't returned to baseline, which could have a critical impact on health. I think the detailed analysis will be very important and exciting." Make this summer a season for living life on your terms. Licensed chiropractors at The Joint help provide pain relief and preventative care, so you can live life to the fullest. Chiropractic can help with back and neck pain, joint discomfort, allergies, migraines and more. Stop by a clinic today! NEW PATIENT SPECIAL Consultation | Exam | Adjustment S 39 Value RELIEF RECOVERY WELLNESS ® No Appointments | No Insurance Needed | Open Evenings & Weekends *Offer valued at $39. Valid for new patients only. See clinic for chiropractor(s)' name and license info. Clinics managed and/or owned by franchisee or Prof. Corps. Restrictions may apply to Medicare eligible patients. Individual results may vary. © 2018 The Joint Corp. All Rights Reserved. West U (713) 588-0858 | thejoint.com 3177 W. 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